The conspiracy begins

The two returned to camp covered in blood and mud.

After handing the bloody head over to the Intelligence Division, they passed through the busy, somber crowds between the tents and returned to their resting quarters.

Only then did their rigid backs relax a little. This relentless fighting had gone on for a full half month.

Half a month earlier, unrest had flared again along the previously pacified border of the Land of Fire. Kirigakure had seemingly gone mad, committing large numbers of troops without warning and launching almost suicidal assaults against Konoha's defensive lines.

The long-dormant flames of war had reignited in an instant, and the situation had abruptly spiraled toward collapse.

With the front in crisis, their elite squad, led by Minato Namikaze and equipped with a Sharingan and a Medical Ninja, had been urgently transferred to the Kirigakure front.

Now, the squad had temporarily split up.

As an outstanding Medical Ninja, Rin Nohara practically lived in the field hospital, racing against time to save the wounded amid cries of agony and bloodstains.

Meanwhile, Asami Ri and Kakashi, the two "unused combat assets," had become the front's emergency responders. Wherever Kirigakure Jonin led a surprise attack, they were there.

These support missions on the edge of death had become their daily routine over the past half month.

Yet it was precisely through this actual combat that their abilities had undergone an explosive transformation.

Kakashi had adapted to the Sharingan. Chidori was no longer a burden, but a technique he could wield with ease.

Asami Ri had gained even more. Through battles in which he repeatedly broke down and recombined Lightning Release and Water Release, he had begun approaching the threshold of the kekkei genkai known as Storm Release.

The fluidity of flowing water and the sharpness of lightning had begun appearing simultaneously in his Chakra.

Inside the tent, Asami Ri removed his damaged tactical vest and gave the scrape below his ribs some basic treatment.

Kakashi silently wiped down his kunai. With his Sharingan covered by his forehead protector, his demeanor had grown languid.

"Kirigakure's offensive is far too abnormal," Kakashi said quietly, his voice hoarse. "They don't care about lives at all. They're throwing themselves straight onto Konoha's blades."

"They seem desperate to achieve some objective. Or perhaps..." Asami Ri looked at the gloomy sky outside the tent, a shadow passing through his eyes. "They're planning a larger conspiracy... Get some rest, Kakashi. I have a feeling the worst fighting is coming."

The two closed their eyes, sitting back to back, seizing every second to recover their strength under the relentless pressure.

"The three of you are to depart immediately for the border of the Land of Water on a support mission."

The camp commander thrust a pitch-black mission Scroll into Kakashi's hand.

He offered no words of encouragement and did not even glance at them before turning hurriedly away, his figure swiftly disappearing into the shadows of the Konoha Wartime Office.

Kakashi rubbed his fingertips over the Scroll's rough surface, a cold glint passing through his eyes.

As an experienced Jonin, he had keenly sensed that something was amiss.

"Why... would they send Rin, a Medical Ninja, on a support mission?" Kakashi murmured, his brows tightly drawn. "Haven't the two of us always handled these dangerous encounters before?"

"Something about this is strange. Kakashi, Rin, stay sharp. I have a feeling there's a hidden trap behind this mission."

Asami Ri spoke in a low, grave voice.

His gaze swept across Konoha's bustling camp, while turmoil surged through his heart.

If even such an obviously questionable mission could pass down through every level of command, it meant Madara Uchiha's reach had likely already infiltrated the Konoha Camp unnoticed.

"Understood. I won't hold you back." Rin Nohara nodded solemnly.

Without a word, Asami Ri fastened a specially prepared medical kit to his waist.

"Ri," Rin Nohara reminded him softly when she noticed his movement, "just leave first aid and supplies to me. Carrying so much equipment will add weight and affect your mobility in the Jungle."

Asami Ri looked up and forced a faint smile, masking the worry in his eyes with a half-joking tone. "It's fine. I'll take these along, just in case."

"Let's move," Kakashi ordered tersely.

Three figures leaped forward and vanished into the curtain of rain, as dark as thick ink.

The chill seeped into their bones.

In a rocky Cave near the border of the Land of Water.

The air inside was damp and cold. Water seeping through cracks in the rock sounded especially piercing in the deathly silence.

More than a dozen Kirigakure Anbu, wearing gray vests and strange masks, stood like statues in the shadows. Only the ninja blades on their backs gleamed coldly in the dim light.

The Anbu captain at their head flicked his fingertips and slowly unfurled a dark red Scroll bearing the Mizukage's seal.

"I will repeat the mission objective one final time." His low, gravelly voice stirred eerie echoes through the cave. "Intercept the Konoha squad about to arrive here and capture its female Medical Ninja alive."

He paused, a cruel chill flashing in his eyes.

"Use her as a vessel and implant the Three-Tails. We will detonate this bomb in the heart of the Konoha Camp. When that happens, Konoha's defensive lines will collapse from within."

Amid the silent ranks, an Anbu lowered his head slightly, a trace of doubt in his voice. "Sir... is the Intelligence reliable? Konoha's movements have always been secret. For us to obtain their route so easily this time..."

"Are you questioning Lord Mizukage?"

The Anbu captain abruptly turned, his cold mask almost touching the other's.

Every word seemed forced through clenched teeth. "This is a supreme directive issued personally by Lord Mizukage. In his eyes, the pieces for this operation have already been set in place. All you need to do is carry it out."

"...I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me, sir!" The Anbu fell silent in terror and bent sharply into a deep bow.

The Anbu captain put away the Scroll and looked out at the boundless rain and mist beyond the cave.

"Move out."

He uttered the brief command.

In an instant, fleeting silhouettes sprang into the air and vanished into the heavy mist and curtain of rain.

The rain grew heavier.

Two paths that should never have crossed were being woven together by the tangible, sinister hand of Madara Uchiha behind the scenes.

"Damn it... they're all Kirigakure Anbu!"

Asami Ri surveyed his surroundings. Demon Face Masks flickered in and out of view through the cold, damp fog. A quick count revealed as many as fifteen or sixteen enemies.

The accuracy of their Intelligence was chilling.

They had not rushed to surround and kill them. Instead, like a tightening fishing net, they used their superior numbers to forcibly cut the three off from one another.

Asami Ri and Kakashi were pinned in place by the Kirigakure Anbu, while Rin Nohara, their "target," was left isolated and helpless.

"Rin!" Kakashi surged forward, the roar of Chidori erupting through the rain.

But the Kirigakure Anbu captain moved faster.

Like a phantom, he slipped behind Rin, raised his blade, and brought it down in a precise strike against the side of her neck.

Rin Nohara let out a short, faint cry. Her body crumpled limply, and an Anbu immediately slung her over his shoulder.

Without the slightest hesitation, they left some of their men to cover the retreat and block pursuit, while the remaining Anbu carried Rin swiftly into the depths of the forest.

Moments later, the remaining Anbu withdrew like an ebbing tide. Silence returned to the woods, leaving only Kakashi and Asami Ri panting heavily, the muddy water beneath their feet stained dark red with blood.

"Kakashi, calm down." Asami Ri wiped the rain from his face and steadied his pounding heart. "This is too strange. Those Kirigakure Anbu... they clearly could have killed us, but they only took Rin. It's like they're deliberately luring us into following them."

Asami Ri knew perfectly well that this was Kirigakure's plan.

But at that moment, violent emotions were devouring Kakashi's reason. The Sharingan flickered in his eye, its two tomoe alternately spinning and stilling.

Obito's dying smile, mingled with blood and tears, and the crushing weight of his final request flashed through Kakashi's mind.

"I'm going to save Rin... even if it's a trap." Kakashi kept his head lowered, his voice distorted. The hand gripping his kunai trembled slightly. "Obito entrusted her to me. I can't... I can't lose another comrade."

Asami Ri looked at Kakashi's slumped yet resolute back, pretended to consider for a moment, then sighed and strode forward.

"I'll go with you." He patted Kakashi's slight shoulder and spoke each word distinctly. "Do you remember what Obito said? In the ninja world, those who break the rules are called trash, but—"

"Those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than trash!"

Kakashi looked up in astonishment, as though he had once again glimpsed Obito's carefree grin through the layers of rain.

The confusion in his eyes gave way to clear, unwavering resolve.

Neither spoke again. At the same time, they took out the Soldier Pills they carried and swallowed them.

The energy became Chakra and surged into their depleted chakra pathways, wringing out the last of their strength.

"After them."

Two figures raced in the direction of Kirigakure's retreat.